Adhesive melter having quick change pump pack assembly and associated methods

Abstract

An adhesive melter includes a melter support frame with a spring-loaded support and a manifold for receiving molten adhesive. The melter also includes a pump pack assembly having a rigid frame carrying a pump for directing flow of molten adhesive through the manifold, a motor, and a drive coupling operatively connecting the pump and motor. The pump pack assembly is collectively mounted as a unit on the melter support frame by positioning the rigid frame on the spring-loaded support, moving the pump into abutment with the manifold, and fastening the pump into fluid-tight engagement with the manifold, the support adjusting in position during fastening to assist with carrying the pump pack assembly as a cantilever load.

Description

FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0001]The present invention generally relates to an adhesive melter used with an adhesive dispensing system and, more particularly, to a pump pack assembly used with the adhesive melter.BACKGROUND[0002]A conventional dispensing system for supplying heated adhesive (i.e., a hot-melt adhesive dispensing system) generally includes a melter configured to receive adhesive in solid or semi-solid form and then heat and / or melt the adhesive, a pump in communication with the melter for driving and controlling the dispensation of the heated adhesive out of the melter, and one or more adhesive dispensing devices (e.g., guns or modules) receiving the heated adhesive from the pump. One or more hoses or manifolds may also be included in the dispensing system to direct the heated adhesive between the melter, pump, and dispensing devices. One particular type of melter used with conventional dispensing systems is a tank melter which includes a relatively large tank for storing ...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

The invention is an adhesive melter for an adhesive dispensing system. It includes a melter support frame with a spring-loaded support and a pump pack assembly. The pump pack assembly has a rigid frame, a pump, a motor, and a drive coupling. The pump pack assembly is collectively mounted as a unit on the melter support frame by positioning the rigid frame on the spring-loaded support. The pump and motor can be quickly connected and disconnected as a unit when maintenance is required without significantly impacting the operational uptime of the adhesive dispensing system. The melter and pump pack assembly may also include a quick change receptacle and a corresponding quick change plug for providing power and control signals to the pump and the motor. A handle may also be provided on the rigid frame to help an operator move the pump pack assembly. The invention allows for quick and easy maintenance of the pump and motor without significant downtime that would be experienced otherwise.

Problems solved by technology

Therefore, the drive coupling that must be used with the pump and motor is expensive and complex to install correctly.

Each of these disassembly and assembly steps add significant time to the downtime required to repair or replace the pump.

On the whole, a routine maintenance of the pump may cause a downtime of as much as an hour.

In certain dispensing fields such as nonwoven article manufacturing where the adhesive dispensing system produces up to $10,000 worth of product per minute, a significant downtime for maintenance can be financially significant.

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